Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy

Health & Well-being

U.S. dairy plays an essential role in nourishing people across all life stages and strengthening food and nutrition security. The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy works across the value chain to advance science-based solutions that support personal health, healthier communities, and access to nutritious foods.

Advancing U.S. Dairy’s Role in Health and Well-being

Through the Innovation Center, the U.S. dairy industry works collectively to advance a shared vision for health and well-being. This unified approach brings together cooperatives, processors, brands, farmers, and allied industry to foster collaboration grounded in scientific evidence. The goal is to equip the industry with credible communications, tools, and resources that align with evolving consumer health priorities.

By engaging trusted third-party experts and promoting precompetitive collaboration, the industry develops and disseminates science-based information that reinforces dairy’s role in everyday wellness. These efforts focus on delivering daily nutrition that meets emerging and personalized health needs across life stages, educating consumers about dairy’s benefits, and improving community access to dairy and its contributions to well-being. In supporting individual health, dairy strengthens community resilience and helps create a future where everyone can thrive.

Modern Wellness Benefits

For generations, dairy has delivered a unique nutrient package that supports strong bodies and healthy development. Today, our understanding of dairy’s role in overall wellness continues to evolve. Scientific research is expanding to include benefits tied to inflammation reduction, digestive health, cognition improvement, and calming of the nervous system.

Many consumers are seeking to improve their physical and emotional health. They view foods and beverages as a pathway to achieve this outcome, leaning into the idea of “food as medicine.” U.S. dairy is driving a positive impact by supporting consumers’ health and wellness every day.

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Food & Nutrition Security

Approximately one in seven American households experience food insecurity. U.S. dairy envisions a future where people facing food insecurity have reliable and consistent access to nutritious, affordable dairy foods that contribute to optimal health. In partnership with Feeding America and others, the Innovation Center works to increase access to dairy foods in the charitable food system, foster stronger connections between dairy companies and food banks, and promote the adoption of best practices across the supply chain.

These efforts expand access to nutrient-rich dairy foods and reinforce the industry’s long-term commitment to nourishing communities today and for the future. In 2025, dairy foods distributed through Feeding America increased to 471 million pounds – a 6.3% increase year over year.

Dairy Nourishes America

The Innovation Center and Feeding America launched the Dairy Nourishes America Toolkit in 2024, a compilation of effective methods for increasing access to dairy in food banks. The toolkit contains a variety of useful information including best practices and safety guidelines related to working with dairy products, and examples of how food banks and the dairy community have worked together to source dairy products for those in need of food assistance.

View Toolkit